July 23, 2008

Education Department's 'Emergency' Request for Pell Grant Survey Is Denied

Washington — The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has denied the Education Department’s “emergency” request for approval to immediately survey Pell Grant recipients who have transferred from one institution to another, according to a statement on the Web site of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

The association and several others representing traditional colleges opposed the department’s request and questioned both its motive in pursuing the survey and its rationale for treating the matter as an emergency. Eleven higher-education associations signed a letter urging the Office of Management and Budget to deny the request.

The groups said in the letter that they believed “there is no appropriate federal rationale for this survey to be done without giving the public, including the higher-education institutions, an opportunity to comment.”

The survey, according to the department, was intended to identify any problems that Pell recipients may face when they try to transfer credits and courses between institutions. The department normally must go through a process of public comment before spending federal money on such a survey.

There isn’t time for such a process, however, the department said in its request: “Given that this population is particularly difficult to reach, there is significant risk that our sample may degrade if we delay data collection further.”

The department also sought a hasty survey because Congress has nearly completed work on legislation to rewrite the Higher Education Act, the main law setting federal policy toward colleges. One provision in the bill would require colleges to publicly state their policies for handling requests from students who want to transfer credits from other institutions. —Sara Hebel

Correction (7/24, 12:10 p.m.): The White House’s Office of Management and Budget said this morning that the Education Department’s request had not been denied. According to Jane K. Lee, a spokeswoman for the White House office, the department’s emergency request was still under review.

Comments

1. OK, so the same Department of Education that very publicly criticizes colleges for their lack of transparency wants to push through what appears to be a hidden-agenda survey using financial aid application data (intended for different purposes) and bypass a public comment period? I guess in the Bush Administration, that’s what constitutes transparency.

   — DS    Jul 24, 08:51 AM    #

2. No one wants the survey because it is going to expose student frustration and the $ millions taxpayers pay for a student to take a course a second time where the student is already proficient in the subject. The Veteran’s Administration has it right: If you have received G.I. Bill benefits for a course, you won’t receive them again because of an elitist transfer policy that won’t fairly grant credit for a course a student can prove they are proficient in, or are led to beleive they need to retake because ‘that’s our policy.’ Don’t buy carefully spun arguments and continue to let institutions continue to abuse students, and federal and state funds.

   — John A.    Jul 24, 09:36 AM    #

3. Had this “survey” happened, the results would have been way too skewed to have been of any use to anyone except ED. We all know that they’re trying to dictate transfer credit policy (gee, they’ve done such a great job with everything else, I’m sure that’d work well). The survey questions would have been designed to demonstrate their doomsday scenario – glossing over details like credits not being accepted because it’s a different course, or the student got a D the first time they took it – the results would have been carefully crafted to fit ED’s agenda.

   If anyone has any real data on transfer credits and their impact on college costs and/or cost to taxpayers, let’s see it. In the meantime, we don’t need a Federal Ministry of Education dictating a one-size-fits-none academic policy.

   — DS    Jul 24, 12:02 PM    #

4. Once again it’s the old adage “follow the money.” The truth here is the millions of dollars that will have to be repaid to the feds because of the audits the survey will force. We all know how inconstant and bogus transfer credits are treated. I would be surprised if there is a transfer credit policy / procedure that wasn’t developed to enhance eligibility of Title IV funds. Name one institution of higher education that hasn’t sold it soul for enrollment and Title IV funds.

   — Dr. Bill    Jul 24, 12:06 PM    #

Previous: Accreditor Can Certify New Institutions Once Again, Education Dept. Says
Next: Lawsuit Follows ETS's Decision to Cancel AP Scores in Cheating Scandal